Ben Affleck Confirmed to Direct Batman Solo Movie

Four months ago, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice debuted in theaters and was supposed to be the DC Extended Universe’s big foray into the cinematic comic book universe. Instead, it was met with a lot of criticism from both fans and reviewers alike, as people complained the action and special effects ended up taking over the actual story. Yet two things, or two characters rather, noticeably stood out from amongst the rest of the reportedly chaotic film: Wonder Woman and Batman.

A Wonder Woman film is something fans have been wanting to see for decades, and in a little under a year they’ll finally get it. (You can watch the newest trailer here.) Yet Batman is a character that has been done (and done well, depending on who you ask) multiple times already on the big screen. Tim Burton’s Batman in the early 90s defined a generation with its style and tone, while also inspiring a number of successful sequels. And a decade later, Christopher Nolan’s more recent trilogy established a new grittier and darker Batman, leading to more comic book movies doing the same with their superheroes.

So Ben Affleck has a lot to live up to for his upcoming solo Batman movie, especially now that he’s been confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con to co-write (with DC Comics Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns), direct and star in this next DC Extended Universe film. All we know so far about the movie is that it’ll follow Batman in his much humbler roots as a great detective, which seems par for the course for Affleck. Some rumors have also reported it’ll be set in the famed Arkham Asylum and feature multiple bad guys.

Affleck himself had this to say about the news today at SDCC:

“It’s really inspiring. It’s like taking on a great play. It’s been reinvented so many times. It’s terrifying, but it’s exciting.”

Affleck is right that Batman at this point has become a myth or legend more than a man. Everyone knows how the Caped Crusader got his start, as well as his animosity towards the Joker or any number of different villains. So the only direction to go storywise is retreading these same old fights or focusing more on Bruce Wayne as a person with insecurities and problems of his own: The man without the bat persona.

And this is actually Affleck’s forte, so we think he’s up to the challenge. All of the movies he’s directed so far (Gone Baby Gone, The Town and Argo) have featured characters stuck in impossible circumstances. They’ve focused on complex, unique individuals who are wrestling with morality while struggling to do what’s right. This describes Bruce Wayne exactly. Plus, Affleck’s films have consistently gotten rave reviews, so we should only be so lucky to have him at the helm of a Batman film that’ll be unlike any we’ve seen before.

Suicide Squad is scheduled to arrive in theaters on August 5, 2016; Wonder Woman is slated for release on June 2, 2017; followed by Justice League on November 17, 2017; Aquaman on July 27, 2018; an untitled DC Film on October 5, 2018; Shazam on April 5, 2019; Justice League 2 on June 14, 2019; an untitled DC film on November 1, 2019; Cyborg on April 3, 2020; and Green Lantern Corps on July 24, 2020. The Flash and Batman solo movie are currently without release dates.